School’s Out
Each summer, the family traveled to Windemere, their summer home on Walloon Lake, near Petoskey, Michigan. Young Ernest loved it there, and his father taught him to hunt, fish, and camp in the woods and lakes of Northern Michigan. These early childhood experiences instilled a life-long passion for outdoor adventure and living in remote or isolated areas. Plus, it was probably the first time he was allowed to be a boy.
The young lad started hunting early. At the age of three, he killed a porcupine at his father’s behest and finished the job by eating it. Still, at least the quills would have made good writing pens. Nowadays, you can visit the author’s boyhood summer hangout, Windemere, although these days it’s known as The Ernest Hemingway Cottage.
